Four Club members from SI Lichfield and District, including President Lesley Warfield, joined in the Summer Celebration to celebrate SI Cannock and District’s 60th Diamond Anniversary at Ingestre Hall nr Stafford on Sunday 13th July 2014. Guests were welcomed with a glass of bubbly and enjoyed a “Cavalcade of Fashions” from the 40’s to the 90’s provided by Notty Hornblower of The Hope Costume Museum in Derby. The fashion parade was followed by a delicious afternoon tea with a selection of finger sandwiches and far- too- tempting cakes and scones!  Club President Dr Janis Lomas thanked everyone for sharing her Club’s celebration and presented every guest with a ‘friendship’ plant to nurture and grow.

SI Lichfield and Districts entry in St Luke’s Scarecrow Festival on 12 July 2014 upheld SI’s commitment to transform the lives of women and girls throughout the world. Their exhibit portrayed the fairytale character Cinderella transforming from a kitchen maid to a beautiful princess complete with glass slipper. They entry earned them a Silver Award with Gold going to St Like’s CE School, Reception Class, for a very impressive “Big Bad Wolf” dressed in granny’s nightwear. The festival is supported by a number of schools women’s groups and local industry and is a good platform to raise awareness of our organisation.      

It hardly seemed possible that twelve months had elapsed since SI Lichfield and District helped at the annual Staffordshire Goblin Event but on June 24 they were back at Seighford Activity Centre for the 8th event sponsored by Greenpower. Year 4 and 5 pupils from schools in Staffordshire build and race their battery operated kit cars against other schools in a series of races including, Time Trials, Sprint Events, Slalom and Drag Event.   Goblin Cars is an exciting project with numerous learning opportunities.  The car kits designed for Primary Schools involve pupils in areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.   Schools sometimes see lack of expertise and support as a stumbling block however STEM centre provide Ambassadors who can give the necessary support. Lichfield Soroptimists have 12 fully trained STEM Ambassadors. The projects they are involved with, including their own Skirting Science Days, promote the

One of Lichfield’s Soroptimists in her capacity as STEM Ambassador assisted with a workshop at the National Women in Engineering Day held on Monday 23 June 2014 at Staffordshire University, Stoke Campus. Girls from local schools attended a one day seminar where they were divided into three groups and learnt diverse skills from communicating over a distance, transmitting energy to a ping pong ball and designing for the third age. Our club member, Bev Billings, was involved with the latter workshop where girls designed an aid to assist people suffering with arthritis to turn a key in a lock.  Students designed a prototype in plasticine before melting polymorph granules in a water bath and moulding their ideas in plastic.  The photograph shows a selection of their designs. Women represent only 7% of the total UK Engineering workforce and events like this and our Skirting Science

The ever popular ping pong game usually seen at the Lichfield Festival Market is have a change of sceme this year.  SI Lichfield and District have a stall at the Alrewas Show on Satruday 19 July 10.00am to 5.00pm.  Visitors can take part by attempting to throw 5 table tennis balls into glass jars -not as simple as it sounds but fun for all and participants are guaranteed a prize every time.  Also on their stall will be hook-a-duck and What’s my Name? Please pay us a visit –  we are next to the Punch & Judy Stall in the children’s area.  All profits from our stall will go to our local charities.

Their last visit was to help make presents for Mothering Sunday but Lichfield Soroptimists were back in action on Thursday 12 June helping 20 brownies from 5th Lichfield (St. Chad’s) make a card and assemble a present for Father’s Day on Sunday 15th June.  Armed with a pair of black socks, white face flannel and one pint plastic tumbler the girls made presents in the style of a pint of dark ale which was covered with a cellophane gift wrap.  The Father’s Day Card had a shirt collar and tie individually crayoned and embellished with precut stickers to add a stylish touch.  This is a further example of the “hands on Service” Lichfield and District Soroptimists provide to this Brownies Pack throughout the year.

Club member Tracey Hardie has been Manager of SARAC (Sexual Abuse and Rape Advisory Centre) at Burton on Trent since August 2012. The charity offers victims a confidential service, specialist trained workers, a safe environment at Burton Counselling Centre and someone to discuss victims options with practical advice and information. Tracey talked to club members about the work carried out by the Centre having already handed them a startling fact sheet showing statistics in the UK.  This included information that in spite of 190,000 reported complaints of sexual assault in 2011; only 2,807 people were put on trial for rape, of which only 153 were successfully convicted.  This means there is only a 2.5% conviction rate, a staggeringly low percentage especially when taking into account the private and family trauma associated with such crimes. The talk was very thought-provoking with many club members relating some

When one of our club members was asked to display some of her work at a village open garden event, it seemed a good opportunity to showcase some of the projects undertaken for the British Legion and Soroptimist International (SI). As well as being Poppy Appeals Organiser for Longdon, Bev Billings is also a member of SI Lichfield and District.  On display were knitted poppies, dresses made from pillowcases and other donated materials, knitted handicrafts from their Xmas Fayre and a selection of hand crafted items which help generate funds for local, national and international charities. Bev was also on hand to explain the projects SI Lichfield and District are involved with and handed out over 20 “What’s a Soroptimist” flyers during the event.  Bev has received many offers of surplus bedding from which the club can make more dresses. SI Lichfield & District receive

SI Lichfield and District’s Fashion Show held on the 2nd June at the Beacon Village Retirement Complex was a great success and heralded the start of a new fundraising year. The event was well supported by club members, families and friends plus many of the residents from the Beacon Village.  This was our third event from S & D Fashions where, following a ‘catwalk’ view of the items on sale from model Tracey, punters can try on the clothes before they purchase.  Many of the items for sale are High Street brands at less than half of the retail price, making the event better than the January sales and far less hassle! President Lesley welcomed guests and thanked the Residents and Staff at Beacon Village for their excellent support and hospitality.  The net result of a very successful evening was a profit of £468.00 which

The Lichfield & District Soroptimists, who took part in the poverty challenge, living on just £1.00 per day for 5 days, have raised £250.00.  The amount is made up of donations by club members, friends and their own contributions from what they would have spent on food during the five day period. The money raised is going to Action Aid who has launched a fundraising campaign known as the “She Can Appeal” to help young women in developing countries overcome violence and poverty with government match funding worth up to £5m.  This will double our contribution to £500.00 All individual donations made to the campaign between 27 May and 25 June will be matched by the Department for International Development’s UK Aid Match scheme up to the value of £5m. The campaign will provide telephone support for victims of violence to help women get legal